Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

I really liked Annette Bening in films like Regarding Henry and An American President, so I am a little surprised I didn’t catch this film closer to its release date. It is an excellent movie, well written and with strong acting across the board. The drama queen movie star is nearly a movie cliche, but it isn’t overplayed here by Bening or the script. M When movies are based on real people I tend to do a little research out of curiosity, and Gloria Grahame’s life story is an interesting one. She made medical decisions that were destined to shorten her life, but one can argue that it reflected her overall attitude and the fact that she packed the days of her life more than most of us manage to do. And I was quite surprised to learn she had been merely 16 years old when she played bombshell blonde Violet on It’s a Wonderful Life. She seemed to be one of those people the camera loves. Of course this movie is based on a memoir written by Gloria’s younger lover Peter Turner who, as happens in other biopics, is given a cameo appearance in this movie. Of course, he was an actor in hos own right, so it wasn’t an empty gesture.

Based on Peter Turner's book, this is quite a touching story of the last few years of Gloria Grahame's battle against breast cancer. She (Annette Bening) had been struggling with the disease for many years but refused to let it defeat her when she arrived in the UK to perform on stage. That's when she encounters the young Peter (Jamie Bell). He's struggling to make a living treading the boards, and at just twenty-eight is completely unaware of the Hollywood pedigree of his new neighbour. Quickly they are much more than that; she is introduced to his family and then he is whisked off to the US to meet her's. There is quite a contrast between the affection she receives from his mother (Julie Walters) and that which he receives from her's (Vanessa Redgrave) and we start to see strains in their relationship. The audience is aware of the reasons for some of the strains, but Peter is not. Not until he has returned home and she returns for a fling on stage that, well that's where history takes over. It's quite a poignantly presented story with at times lively, at others more considered performances from both Bening and Bell. They have fun, and it's easy to see why she falls for this diverting young man who makes her feel alive again. He is completely smitten, too - but his affections more visceral. It's also quite an interesting look at just how a woman once so fêted and honoured by her profession was now reduced to sharing lodgings and doing English provincial theatre to pay the bills. Almost completely ignored on the awards circuit - perhaps it was just a bit too close to home?

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Peter McGinn

CinemaSerf